'Rogue One' A Review

Rogue One is a scifi action movie, the first stand alone feature in the Star Wars universe, that follows the theft of the Death Star plans as referenced in 1977's A New Hope. The film opens on Jyn Erso as a child hiding out on a mostly deserted planet with her parents. Empire soldiers come and take her father away as it turns out he was a defector and former chief engineer of the in-construction Death Star. Jyn is taken in by family friend Saw Gerrera(Forest Whitaker). Years pass. Jyn(Felicty Jones) now an adult is an Empire prisoner and is rescued and recruited by the Rebellion. Jyn teams up with Cassian Andor(Diego Luna), his wise-cracking droid K-2SO(Alan Tudyk), and later Chirrut Îmwe(Donnie Yen) and Baze Malbus(Jiang Wen) as they slink and battle their way in opposition to the Empire.

The cast boasts astounding talents with the bulk of the film falling on Jones and to a lesser extent Luna, both who give engaging intense performances, but are prevented by time and narrative from being especially layered. Tudyk provides some much needed snarky charm and both Yen and Wen give the film the series' customary(and necessary)mystery and mysticism. The film is thick with talented actors who are all pleasing to watch but the focus is more on the spectacle and the plot. There is some character development and some moments of emotional depth but the momentum of the story propels us past any potential meditations on identity. Which is all well and good. It's not a character study but a war/heist film set in a galaxy far  far away and succeeds as such.

Visually the film is dark, foreboding, and rich. We are given a glimpse of the dirt and muck and toil of the war we have previously only seen waged on metallic walkways or in the forests of Endor. Both visually and sonically the tone is dark and evocative punctuated by moments of despair and doom as well as rapturous courage and resigned sacrifice. The battles are intricate and sweeping, all the new worlds and cultures we are shown- rich. Rogue One expands and augments the world building of Star Wars in a most satisfying way.

Combo war epic and tight heist thriller, the first standalone Star Wars movie delivers but leaves you wanting a bit more.

See It.